Buca di Beppo's Great Bolognese Bailout

The chain of Italian eateries is giving a 20 per cent discount to California state employees and their guests at all CA locations through October 31 (employee ID and a photo ID are required). In Orange County, that's Brea, Huntington Beach, Irvine and Garden Grove.

California has been singled out because the recession has been particularly deep here. Apparently, we also have the Governator to thank: Planet Hollywood International, which was once co-owned by Arnie, acquired Buca di Beppo in September 2008.

Here's hoping that the promo goes more smoothly than a recent Domino's fiasco, when the company ended up giving away some 11,000 free pizzas by accident, when a customer in the Cincinnati area stumbled upon a "bailout" deal online.